Bill on fake guns aired before Connecticut legislature

HARTFORD — A bill that would protect the public from fake guns got a hearing today before the legislature’s Select Committee on Children.

The proposed legislation would make altering a fake gun to look real illegal, and ban fake guns of all kinds, including look-a-like firearms, paintball guns, pellet-firing air guns, and BB guns, from school zones.

“My hope is that this bill will raise awareness of the dangers of these simulated guns and avert a tragedy that is two-fold: the terrible unnecessary loss of a life and the terrible impact on the police officer placed in a situation that required action,” said Rep. Diana Urban, D-Stonington, co-chairwoman of the Children’s Committee.

During a press conference prior to the public hearing, Stonington Police Chief Darren Stewart discussed an incident in December during which a teenager came close to being shot by a police officer over a simulated weapon.

During that incident, a report of children on school grounds with firearms brought an officer to pull his weapon and perhaps only moments away from firing. The “firearm” was plastic, but the red tip identifying it as a toy had been removed.

“We are all painfully aware, even in recent days, of shootings that have occurred on high school grounds across the country,” state Sen. Andrew Maynard, D-Stonington, said. “I am happy to support this request of local law enforcement officials, who approached us in response to an incident in Stonington that involved look-alike weapons and a panic that an actual school shooting was in progress. This bill is an effort to aid police in determining the actual level of threat in an incident that might occur and avoid tragedy.”

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